ceiling issue. i know you've said you're not negotiating on it. your administration has ruled out the various ideas that have been out there, the 14th amendment, but just this morning, one of the house democratic leaders, jim clyburn asked you to use the 14th amendment, and even said sometimes that's what it takes. he brought up the emancipation proclamation saying it took executive action when congress wouldn't act and he compared the debt ceiling to that. so are you considering a plan "b"? and if not, why not? >> well, chuck, the issue here is whether or not america pays its bills. we are not a deadbeat nation. and so, there's a very simple solution to this -- congress authorizes us to pay our bills. now, if the house and the senate want to give me the authority so that they don't have to take these tough votes, if they want to put the responsibility on me to raise the debt ceiling, i'll happily take it. mitch mcconnell, the republican leader in the senate, had a proposal like that last year, and